94 



The Canadian Forestry Journal. 



Hills, and that as a result definite data 

 as to the influence of the forests on 

 stream flow may be obtained. Such 

 observation may give us information 

 as to how the disastrous floods from 

 the eastern slope of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains may be prevented, or, at least, 

 may enable us to give warning of their 

 coming and prevent some of the great 

 loss which frequently occurs. 



Other Uses of Trees. 



Forests protect the soil from erosion, 

 provide a shelter for game, and pleasant 

 resorts for summer outings, and so in 

 various ways minister to the good and 

 increase the happiness of the people. 



Woodlands also protect the farms 

 from wind and the Dominion Forestry 

 Branch have assisted the prairie farmers 

 by furnishing them with trees to form 

 shelter belts and wood lots. Thirteen 

 million trees have so far been distributed 

 from the nursery station at Indian Head 

 and two million and a half are ready 

 for distribution this spring. The com- 

 fort and beauty and homelikeness re- 

 sulting from the planting of trees around 

 the homestead can only be appreciated 

 by those who have been able to contrast 

 the attractive tree-sheltered cottage 

 with the house set bleak and bare and 

 unadorned upon the windswept prairie. 



FOREST^POLICY IN CaNADA. 



What are the main lines that should 

 be followed in the forest policy of 

 Canada ? 



First comes a fire patrol system. 

 The patrol system has been instru- 

 mental in reducing the loss by fire, and, 

 even with the large districts to be 

 covered and the lack of supervision, has 

 been of great benefit. I fear, however, 

 that in dry seasons it will only be the 

 iDlessing of Providence that will prevent 

 fires of serious proportions. A patrol 

 is the only measure that can be taken 

 in our large and difficult forest tracts 

 and the proper policy to follow is to 

 take every measure to make it as ef- 

 fective as possible. On Dominion terri- 

 tory it has been extended as far north 

 as the Peace, Great Slave and Churchill 

 Rivers. The fire notices have also been 

 prepared in the Indian syllabic in Cree 

 and Chipewyan for posting in the 

 northern districts. 



But railwavs are being built, settle- 

 ment is crowding in, and if the forests 



are to be pi^eserved it will be necessary 

 to have inspections made in advance 

 and such lands as are vmsuitable for 

 agriculture set apart as forest reserves. 

 On the reserves already set apart we 

 find that it is largely a case of locking 

 the door after the horse is stolen, for 

 many of them have suffered so severely 

 by fire that the tirnber on them is now 

 of little value either as to size or species. 

 The same story will be repeated over 

 the rest of the great northern forest 

 unless such reserves are set apart and 

 guarded by an adequate and reliable 

 staff of ranger's under efficient super- 

 vision. Exploration of lands before 

 settlement and the creation of forest 

 reserves would therefore be the second 

 item in a Canadian forest policy. 



And as a part of, and a framework 

 for, the policy of exploration I would 

 like to see, in so far as Dominion terri- 

 tory is concerned, meridian lines ex- 

 tended northward well in advance of 

 settlement, with base lines run out at 

 suitable intervals. Any further inspec- 

 tions made could then relate themselves 

 to some fixed locations and the division 

 between agricultural and non-agri- 

 cultural lands could be made with 

 greater facility and the position of the 

 tracts so differentiated could be deter- 

 mined with some definiteness. 



A timber survey should be made on 

 the forest reserves and the timbered 

 lands in general to determine with some 

 degree of accuracy the quantity of 

 timber available, its condition and the 

 outlook for the reproduction of the 

 supply. In the United States the forest 

 reserves under charge of the federal 

 government have been so surveyed. 

 Such Surveys have been completed in 

 twenty-one states and are being carried 

 on in thirteen more. In Canada a 

 million and a quarter acres of the ten 

 million acres in Dominion forest reserves 

 and parks have been so examined. 

 Ontario in 1899 sent out a number of 

 exploratory parties to make an effort 

 to determine the wood available in 

 northern Ontario. Outside of these no 

 systematic and sustained effort has 

 been made by any government. Do- 

 minion or provincial, to find out the 

 condition of its forests or where Canada 

 stands in regard to this great resource. 

 Geological survey officials, lumbermen, 

 foresters, every body M'ho has ever 

 travelled through the woods, even if 



